I Fold
by sheeve
Summary: Bumblebee bonding. Yang and Blake play a game of poker. Cuteness ensues (hopefully). This is my first RWBY one shot, not to mention first fan fiction in 15 years.


"I fold."

Yang sighed exasperatedly at her partner.

"You know, you can't just keep folding every hand!" Yang grabbed the few chips from the hand she had won in front of her. "I'll bleed you dry like this."

Blake gave her a slight smile. "You just taught me how to play this tonight. Isn't folding the best way to reduce losses?"

"Well, of course, but you'll never win anything if you don't take a chance on one of your hands!" Yang dealt a new hand. "Two hands ago you could have beaten me. But you folded when I raised the stakes."

Blake looked at her with mild astonishment. "So, Yang... how did you know that I could have won?"

Those eyes seemed to peer right into Yang's soul. "Uhh, well, you know. I have trade secrets that I cannot divulge." Yang flashed what she hoped was a dazzling and distracting grin.

Yang studied her partner intently as she waited to see if Blake would ignore her obvious cheating. The young huntress-in-training had lost her ability to bluff around this girl. The trait went along with her feisty charm, but she was finding out that any sort of deception felt downright uncomfortable when it came to her partner. Blake was vague and evasive enough for the both of them. Maybe poker was a poor choice of activity, but Yang had decided that any activity that prolonged her time with her partner, especially late at night when the other members of team RWBY were asleep, was a good one.

Blake appeared to at least ignore the transgression. Yang focused on her new hand. She had made the mistake of stupidly stating that of course someone like Blake would know how to play poker, hell maybe she was an expert already. She still was not entirely sure if Blake was just screwing with her about not knowing how to play. But as far as she could tell, her partner had no idea what she was doing. Looking at her own cards, Yang was pleased.

"Well, I win!" Yang put down two pair: 2s and 10s. She had seen her Faunus partner's ears flatten with displeasure when she saw what she had been dealt. She wondered if Blake knew that she had such a pronounced tell. Wearing only one of Yang's oversized t-shirts, her partner looked particularly appealing. Her dark hair was mildly tousled and she had left her feline ears out of the bow. Yang had come to notice that Blake's adorably furry ears often revealed clues to what she was feeling, even when Blake was trying to hide the emotions from her own face.

Blake flashed her a small smile that seemed to blot out everything else in the room. For a moment, Yang couldn't see anything except those amber eyes, her beautiful raven colored hair, and that adorable mouth.

"No, I think I have you beat this time." Sure enough, Blake presented her with a modest two pair: Queens and Kings. Yang could have sworn she saw her partner look a bit smug for a second.

"I shoulda just let you keep folding!" Yang laughed heartily.

"And maybe I should have just let you keep cheating," Blake smiled coyly at her.

As Blake reached for the chips, Yang caught her wrist. She slid her hand down and clasped her partner's hand. Her hand felt cold to the touch. _Was she nervous too?_

She felt so drawn to Blake, a magnetic attraction. The transition to romance had been a bit strange for both partners. It was a path that was filled with some awkward missteps, flushed faces, racing hearts, and a lot of anticipation. Yang wondered if she would ever get used to how on fire she felt every time the mood changed between them.

Yang placed her other hand on Blake's waist, drew her lithe partner into her warmth, and stopped with their faces a breath apart. She held onto her tightly, yet tenderly. Blake cheeks reddened as she placed her own hands into a sea of yellow tresses. Yang was very overprotective of her hair, but she found that she loved feeling Blake running her hands through it.

"Thank you," Blake murmured, "I was getting cold."

Blake bit her lip and Yang took this as her cue to bridge the gap between them. She kissed her partner deeply and pulled her closer. It always felt exciting and risky to be doing these things while Weiss and Ruby slept; after all, Yang and Blake had decided to wait to tell anyone until after it wasn't so new to them anymore. It would be an adjustment for everyone. After a couple of very intense minutes, Blake pulled back, flushed.

"So… I…" Blake didn't seem to have a whole thought prepared. Yang enjoyed seeing her partner flustered and frazzled.

Blake cleared her throat and appeared to be searching her mind for a deflection. These intimate moments were a lot for Yang to handle too, but she believed her reticent partner was probably overwhelmed by it. "Let's keep playing? But you still have to tell me how you knew what cards I had."

Yang was past wanting to play a card game. She wanted – no, she needed – to hold Blake tonight. She was tired of them always returning to their own beds right before sleep took them.

Yang grinned and then pulled Blake on top of her, onto the bed, onto the cards, and onto the chips. There may have been mild protest but she certainly didn't hear it. She wrapped her arms around her partner and kissed her again. She didn't know if her embrace would keep Blake here tonight, but she was always going to be willing to try.

"You know what?" Yang whispered into Blake's ear. "I fold."


End file.
